Thanks, gentlemen. Paul, despite all that time the bearings are still very much like you remember! Andy, yes, there is a "skate" shop in the town - lots of over-priced clothes and a few bits if hardware out the back if you ask one of the spotty oiks nicely, trouble is that that is where he got the last ones from, which have now (allegedly) packed up/worn out. Admittedly they didn't sell him the most expensive at about £8 for the whole set of 8 bearings, but they haven't lasted very well at all. I am sure that he has never put any oil or grease any where near the bearings since getting them, and they have probably just been mis-treated to death, but 10 or 12 weeks is still pretty poor. He tells me that the shop does have more expensive sets of bearings in stock. I was just concerned that he might be getting another poor deal that just costs him more money.